Widening the Doorway

As soon as I “picked” animation as the one thing I wanted to do, I had this familiar sense of paralysis. Now, no matter what I do, I reasoned, it’s got to advance the timeline of a pursuit in animation, or it’s piddling away my productivity. So I bought a scanner on eBay, with the idea that I’d be more comfortable making actual sketches of my characters on paper with a pencil rather than on the computer with my little underpowered Wacom tablet. While it shipped, I twiddled my thumbs. It got here, and it turns out I chintzed out and got one that is no longer compatible with anything, in spite of being USB. That I paid $20 for it, including shipping, should have tipped me off. No problem. But another delay.

But then I started to toodle around with another idea. And I discovered I’m my happiest when I’m doing a little of this, a little of that. I’m not kidding.

You should see me cook breakfast. I season the eggs, then stop to wash out a coffee cup, then flip two out of four slices of bacon, then break open but not pour the Splenda. Yet I’m whistling a happy tune, and I’m done in record time, faster every day. So I should just face it: this is the way I do everything. I shouldn’t, but I do. It makes me happy.

Here are these ideas and ambitions, often about four at a time, each one politely beckoning the other to go first through the door. Even when they bum-rush it, they jam the entrance, and nobody gets through at all. And I’m twiddling my thumbs. So what if I never choose? What if I just let them all in at the same time?

This other project, to which I gave some attention this weekend instead of scanning, has had some wonderful things happen in its favor. (And you have to excuse me for keeping the details vague at the moment.) Coincidences, the kind that Paulo Coelho doesn’t believe are coincidences, but omens. I was determined to see whether there was a single, go-to maven on the subject in New York City, and sure enough, there is one. And she seems to verify my suspicions that my idea would have “legs”. Let’s just say that, if negotiations with this New Yorker go well, I’ll leak some news at PodCamp NYC later this month. Although what I learn from the classes therein might steer me clear of the idea — but probably not. The podcast community is nothing if not encouraging. So already you know it’s a possible podcast.

I did a little of this and a little of that. And it was a good weekend. No milestones yet, but that’s only because they don’t make yardstones.